This invention relates to a laundry care product. More particularly, this invention relates to a laundry care bleach available in dry, pre-measured form.
It has long been considered desirable to add a bleaching agent to the wash water in a home or commercial laundry. By including a bleaching agent, stubborn or difficult stains can be removed from the clothes by the bleaching action of a bleaching agent.
At the present time, bleaches fall into two categories: liquid chlorine bleaches, which are aqueous solutions of sodium hypochlorite, and dry, oxygen bleaches based on various per-type compounds, such as peroxides, perborates, etc. Chlorine bleaches have the advantages of cost, they are relatively inexpensive, and have a high degree of bleaching activity. However, this latter advantage also is a disadvantage as a very active bleaching agent can damage some colors and fabrics and the bleach must be added to the wash water as a dilute solution.
In addition to the above two bleaching agents, there are a number of solid chlorine-type bleaching compositions available. These compositions dissolve in water to form an active bleaching species such as sodium hypochlorite which then functions as the bleach. These compositions have not been usable in a home laundry environment since concentrated areas of bleach may come in contact with garments to create pin hole bleaching, i.e., light over-bleached spots on the garment.
There have been attempts to utilize these dry chlorine bleaches in a home laundry environment by combining the same in dissolvable packets and the like. However, these packets have not been successful because the packets, while water soluble under most conditions, may became water-insoluble after prolonged contact with an oxidizing agent such as a dry bleach, and localize the bleach until the packet is dissolved.